Tight winding device for watches



Jan. 26, 1943. LER

' TIGHT WINDINQDEVIGEFOR WATCHES F iled Nov. 27, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTDM MnA/ar BY Zi kale.

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7% w m L ATT OB'NEY Jan. 26, 1943.

' H. AEGLER TIGHT WINDING DEVICE FOR WATCHES Filed Nov. 27, 1959 :s Sheets-Sheet :5

Patented Jan. 26, 1943 TIGHT WINDING DEVICE. FOR WATCHES Hermann Aegler, Biel, Switzerland, assignor to the firm Rolex Watch Co. Ltd., Geneva, Switzerland, a firm of Switzerland Application November 27, 1939, Serial No. 306,271 In Switzerland March 22, 1939 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a tight Winding device for watches and other timepieces employing means for fixing the crown temporarily to the movement case and a disengaging coupling one half of which is carried by the winding shaft, while the other halfis mounted on the crown so as to couple said shaft with said crown when the latter is removed from the case.

It is the object of the invention to provide a winding device of the above mentioned type wherein the half of the coupling mounted on the crown is conveniently formed with a sleeve fixed to the body of the crown by two distinct means adapted to prevent said sleeve from rotating as well as from becoming longitudinally displaced relatively to said body.

The invention consists in the construction and. arrangement of certain parts as will be apparent from the following description and claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show two preferred embodiments of the invention and several modifications.

Fig. l is a top plan view partly broken away, showing the crown and movement case of a watch to which the invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical axial section in the plane of line A-A of Fig. 1, showing a first embodiment of the winding device according to the present invention. Fig. 3 shows a detail thereof.

Fig. 4 is a similar section taken on line AA of Fig. 1, showing a modification of parts of the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a similar section taken on line B-B of Fig. 1, showing a second modification of parts of the first embodiment, Fig. 6 is a section taken on line CC of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a vertical axial section taken on line BB of Fig. 1, showing a third modification of parts of the first embodiment, and Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on line D-D of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a vertical axial section taken on line A--A of Fig. 1, showing a fourth modification of parts, and Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken on line E-E of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section similar to Fig. 10, showing a fifth modification.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view similar to Fig. 1, showing again a crown and movement case of a watch to which the invention is applied.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged vertical axial section in the plane of line FF of Fig. 12, showing a second embodiment of the winding device. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a detail of the second embodiment.

Figs. 15 to 19 represent vertical axial sections In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, Q

the numeral l designates the annular main body of a watch case in which the movement 3 fits, this body being internally threaded as at l to receive the usual externally threaded pendant neck 2 which carries the crown 9 of the winding device. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the crown consists of an internally threaded crown head 9' formed integral with a centrally disposed tubular member 9" which extends downwardly into the pendant neck 2. The latter is shown having two stepped portions projecting from the annular main body of the watch case on either side thereof, namely an upper portion 2' of large diameter engaging the internally threaded crown head 9' and a lower portion 2 of small diameter which extends downwardly into a recess or passage H in the watch movement. A first elastic packing a inserted between the top face of the upper portion 2' of the pendant neck and the crown head 9', and a second backing b accommodated in an inner circumferential groove 9' of said upper portion and bearing against the outer wall of the tubular member 9" render the joint between the assembled pendant neck and crown perfectly tight. 7? is a tempered steel plate seated against and fast with the inner top face of the tubular member 9" of the crown.

The winding device comprises further a winding shaft formed with an inner section 4 projecting from the watch movement through the passage 1 l therein into the lower portion of the pendant neck and having a screw threaded top portion 4' engaging an outer section 5 of the shaft. The said outer section is extended into the tubular member 9 of the crown and presents at its top two lateral shoulders 6 which provide the male half of a coupling, and a ball is set centrally in the top face of said upper section and projecting approximately half way therefrom to bear against the tempered steel plate t in the tubular member so as to reduce to a minimum the frictional contact between the top of the winding shaft and the opposite inner face of the crown.

The lower portion of the tubular crown member 9" is internally threaded at 12 to engage an externally threaded sleeve 8 interposed between said member and the winding shaft and which is shown having two lateral slots I adapted to provide the female half of the said coupling. The sleeve 8 is rigidly secured to the crown as will later appear and its lower end projects from the tubular crown member and is provided at the bottom with two diametrically opposite recesses 8 adapted to engage a tool not represented which is used for assembling the said parts.

The lower stepped portion 2" of the pendant neck accommodates also a coil spring. surrounding the winding shaft and bearing, on the one side, against the sleeve 8 and, on the other side, against a ring or collar 0 placed with a pressfit on the winding shaft.

In the position shown in Fig. 2, the winding device is at rest, and the crown 8-9 is screwed home on the pendant neck 2 whereby a tight closing of the movement case is eifected. For the winding-up or hand setting, the crown is to be unscrewed; the spring I0 then pushes the crown outwardly and brings the two halves 6 and I of the coupling into engagement with each other; from that moment the crown and the winding shaft are coupled, and the winding-up as well as the hand setting can be effected in the ordinary way.

In order that the sleeve 8 may be rigidly held against any accidental play or lost motion relative to the crown it is rendered fast with the crown by two distinct means such as peripheral fixing means formed on the crown and sleeve, respectively, and interlocking means which are disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the sleeve and. crown without affecting the peripheral continuity of the fixing means. In the example of Fig. 2 the fixing means is constituted by the internal thread I2 formed on the lower portion of the tubular crown member 9 and engaging the corresponding external thread of the sleeve 8, while the interlocking is obtained by an upsetting at the top of the sleeve which upsetting is efiected by distorting under the action of a pressure exerted at I 4 some material of the crown member 9 into two hollows or slots I3 provided for this purpose at the top of said sleeve. It will be seen that the said fixing and interlocking means provide a simple and absolute rigid attachment of the sleeve to the crown which attachment is so effective as to prevent said sleeve from rotating as well as from becoming axially displaced relative to the crown.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 a sleeve I3 surrounding the upper section 5 of the winding shaft is again screwed into a tubular member I 9 of a crown not represented and has at its top two slots I! which provide the female half of a coupling of the winding device as in the example of Fig. 2. This sleeve is, however, distinguished from that shown in Fig. 2 by the feature that the interlocking is effected at the bottom of the sleeve. For this purpose, the portion of the sleeve which projects from the lower end of the tubular crown member I9 is shown having vertical slots I5 adapted to engage a tool for assembling and to receive afterwards some material of said member which is upset at I6.

In the modification of Figs. 5 and 6, the sleeve 28 is not threaded into the crown; it is simply fitted in a tubular crown member 29 and is shown having again slots 2'! at its top for engaging corresponding lateral shoulders at the top of the winding shaft not represented, and radial lugs 2'," which penetrate into slots 2I of the crown member 29 so as to prevent any rotation of said sleeve relatively to the crown. The sleeve presents also a shoulder 28 to the underside of which is upset at 20 some material of the crown member 29. The sleeve is thus fixed to the crown by an upsetting on its shoulder 28, and the interlocking between said sleeve and the crown is effected by the relative engagement of the lugs 21 and slots 2|. In the modification of Figs. 7 and 8 which merely disclose a variation of the structure disclosed in Figure 2, the upper section 35 of the winding shaft is shown having two lateral slots 22 which provide the female half of the mentioned coupling, and said slots are intended to cooperate with radial lugs 23 of a sleeve 38, forming the male half of said coupling. As in the example of Fig. 5, the sleeve 38 fits in a tubular crown member 39 and is fixed therein by an upsetting 25 comprising, in th s instance, some material of the crown member distorted into a peripheral semi-circular groove 25 of the sleeve. Moreover, to effect an interlocking engagement between said sleeve and crown member the outer ends of the lugs 23 are shown penetrating into radial slots 24 of the crown member 39.

In the modification of Figs. 9 and 10, the sleeve .8, which again surrounds the upper section 5 of the winding shaft and has lateral slots 46 providing the female half of the coupling, is held against rotation relatively to the tubular crown member 49 by providing it with a circumferential face of polygonal shape fitting within a correspondingly shaped cavity 26 formed in said member. Moreover, the sleeve is clamped between a shoulder H of the crown member and a setting 42 obtained by upsetting some material of said crown member to the underside of a shoulder 43 of the sleeve. In the modification of Fig. 11, rotation of the sleeve 58 within the tubular crown member 59 is prevented by providing the sleeve with longitudinal crests 50 engaging in corresponding grooves formed on said crown member.

The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 12 to 14 comprises again an annular main body ISI of a watch case carrying the usual pendant neck I02 threaded into an opening I03 of said body. The said pendant neck presents an upper stepped portion I02 which is externally threaded to engage an internally threaded portion I09 of a crown I09, which crown is shown formed integral with a tubular member I09 extending downwardly into the pendant neck I02. A bush I I 9 is secured externally on the tubular crown member I 09 and has its lower end extended beyond the free end of said member and formed with an inturned annular lip H9. The numeral I 04 designates the winding shaft which is extended into the tubular crown member I09 and formed with an inner and outer section threaded to each other as in the first embodiment described. The upper section of said shaft has an enlarged top portion I05 provided with two lateral slots I06 forming the female half of a disengaging coupling. To the top of the winding shaft is also secured a perforated plate P having fixed thereto one end of a coil spring IIO which bears with its other end against the inner circular top face of the crown for displacing said crown outwardly when it is unscrewed from the pendant neck I02.

Between the winding shaft I04 and the tubular crown member I09 is again interposed a sleeve I08 bearing against the free end of said member and being formed with two diametrically opposed lugs I 68 projecting into said tubular member. The inner portions of said lugs, extending between the winding shaft and the tubular crown member. from the male half of the disengaging coupling.

The sleeve I08 is clamped between the free end of the tubular crown member I09" and the inturned annular lip I III of the bush I I9; it is also set into interlocking cooperation with said tubular member by means of the outer ends of its lugs I08 engaging with corresponding slots I20 in the tubular member, said slots being disposed diametrically opposite each other on the free end of said member.

To render the winding device perfectly tight, a packing i is interposed and clamped between the annular top face of the bush I I 9 and the opposite annular inner face of the crown, and said packing is extended outwardly from said bush along the annular inner face of the crown so as to bear against the top face of the pendant neck I02 when the crown is screwed home on said neck.

It will be seen from the foregoing examples that the working reliability of the winding device is greatly increased by the fact that the sleeve carrying the coupling half of the crown is prevented from rotating as well as from becoming longitudinally displaced relatively to the crown. Moreover, since this sleeve is held against rotation with respect to the crown it will be possible to attach thereto in any suitable manner that end of the coil spring which cooperates with said sleeve; this arrangement simplifies the assemblage of the winding device.

In Fig. 15, which. shows in combination a winding shaft, consisting again of an inner section 64 threaded into an outer section 65, the lower portion of a coupling sleeve 58, and a spring 60 resting with one end on a collar 62 on the shaft section 64, this attachment is obtained by means of an external screw thread 6| provided on the lower portion of said sleeve and adapted to engage the other end of the coil spring 60, the width and pitch of this thread being such that for engaging said end the spring has to be deformed. In Fig. 16, the lower end of the sleeve I8 is shown having an outer annular projection I2 adapted to surround the end of the coil spring I0. The said projection presents an inner cylindrical backing surface I3 having an annular groove IS in which is freely accommodated the end spire of the spring I0, while the next two spires thereof which had to be deformed for entering into the annular projection I2 bear resiliently against the backing surface 13. The modification of Fig. 1'7 shows a similar arrangement on an outer backing surface of a sleeve 88. The said sleeve is shown having a stepped end portion 82 of reduced diameter. adapted to fit into the coil spring 80 and affording an outer cylindrical backing surface 83 in which is arranged an annular groove 86 adapted to accommodate the end spire of said spring. The next two spires of the spring are seated on the outer backing surface of the end portion 82.

In the modification of Fig. 18 the end of the spring 90 is again surrounded by an outer annular projection 92 of the sleeve and bears laterally against the inner backing surface thereof. and the free end of said projection is shown distorted inwardly at under a spire of said sprin Similarly, in Fig. 19 the end of the spring 90' is seated on the reduced stepped end 02' of the sleeve and bears internally against the oute backing surface thereof, and the free end of said stepped portion is shown distorted outwardly at 96' under a spire of said spring.

The modification of Figs. 20 and 21 is distinguished from the arrangement shown in Fig. 18 by the feature that the outer annular projection I92 is slotted at I93 so as to form segments I94 which are distorted inwardly under a spire of the spring I90.

In the modification of Figs. 22 and 23, the upper end I44 of the spring I40 is bent inwardly at a right angle and engages in a rectilinear groove I45 disposed in the lower end face of the sleeve, said groove being partly closed by a setting I46 which is obtained by distorting some material of the sleeve to the underside of the spire engaged in said groove. In the modification of Figs. 24 and 25, the sleeve presents a lateral rectilinear hole I51 instead of a groove, said hole being adapted to receive the end I58 of the spring I which end is again bent inwardly at a right angle and fixed in said hole by means of a wedge I59.

I claim:

1. Tight winding device for watches, the combination with a movement case having a pendant neck threaded thereto of a crown, means for fixing said crown temporarily to said pendant neck, a winding shaft extending into said crown, one half of a disengaging coupling carried by the winding shaft, a sleeve mounted. within the crown to project therefrom and forming the other half of said coupling for cooperating with the half on the winding shaft so as to couple said shaft with the crown when the latter is removed from the pendant neck, peripheral fixing means formed on the crown and sleeve, respectively, interlocking means disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the sleeve and crown without affecting the peripheral continuity of the fixing means, said interlocking and fixing means being adapted to prevent said sleeve from rotating as well as from becoming axially displaced relatively to the crown, and a coil spring tending to bring said coupling halves into engagement with each other.

2. Tight winding device for watches, the combination with a movement case having a pendant neck threaded thereto, of a crown having an inner tubular member extending into the pendant neck and an internally threaded outer portion by means of which it is temporarily fixed to said pendant neck, the lower portion of said tubular crown member presenting an internal thread, a winding shaft extending into the tubular crown member and having at its top two lateral shoulders forming the male half of a disengag C011- pling, an externally threaded sleeve interposed between the winding shaft and tubular crown member, said sleeve projecting from the tubular crown member at its lower end and presenting at its upper end two diametrically opposite outer hollows and, further, lateral slots forming the female half of said coupling, said sleeve being fixed to the tubular crown member by means of its external thread engaging the internal thread of said member, and set into interlocking cooperation with said member by distorting some material of said member into the outer hollows on said sleeve, a collar on the winding shaft, and a coil spring surrounding the winding shaft and resting with one end on said collar while its other end bears against said sleeve for bringing said coupling halves on the crown sleeve and winding shaft into engagement with each other when the crown is removed from the pendant neck.

3. Tight winding device for watches, the combination with a movement case having a pendant neck threaded thereto, of a crown having an inner tubular member extending into the pendant neck and an internally threaded outer portion by means of which it is temporarily fixed to said pendant neck, the lower portion of said tubular crown member being provided with two slots disposed diametrically opposite each other, a winding shaft extending into the tubular crown member and having an enlarged top portion provided with two lateral slots forming the female half of a disengaging coupling, a sleeve interposed between the winding shaft and tubular crown member, said sleeve projecting at its lower end from said tubular member and having an outer annular groove adjacent the lower end of said member, and the upper end of said sleeve being formed with two radial lugs the inner portions of which form the male half of said coupling, said sleeve being fixed to the tubular crown member by di torting the lower end of said member into th annular groove of said sleeve, and set into interlocking cooperation with said member by means of the outer ends of its lugs engaging with the slots in said member, a collar on the winding shaft,

and a coil spring surrounding the winding shaft a and resting with one end on said collar while its other end bears against said sleeve for bringing said coupling halves on the crown sleeve and winding shaft into engagement with each other when the crown is removed from the pendant neck.

4. Tight winding device for watches, the com bination with a movement case having a pendant neck threaded thereto, of a crown having an inner tubular member extending into the pendant neck and an internally threaded outer portion by means of which it is temporarily fixed to said pendant neck, the lower portion of said tubular crown member being provided with two slots disposed diametrically opposite each other, a wind, ing shaft extending into the tubular crown mem- 1 her and having an enlarged top portion provided with two lateral slots forming the female half of a disengaging coupling, a sleeve interposed between the winding shaft and tubular crown member and bearing against the free end of said member, said sleeve being formed with two diametrically opposed lugs projecting therefrom into the tubular crown member and having their inner portions adapted to form the male half of said coupling, a bush secured externally on the tubular crown member and having its lower end extended beyond the free end of said member and formed with an inturned annular lip, said sleeve being clamped between the free end of the tubular crown member and the inturned annular lip of said bush, and set into interlocking cooperation with said member by means of the outer ends of its lugs engaging with the slots in said member, and acoil spring accommodated in the tubular crown member, said spring bearing with one end against the inner top face of the crown and pressing with the other end upon the enlarged top portion of the winding shaft for bringing said coupling halves on the crown sleeve and windin shaft into engagement with each other when the crown is removed from the pendant neck.

HERMANN AEGLER. 

